#the trick is to grab it and compress it into a ball and then shove it in your motu before it breaks entirely

[pizzapasta23045]

this is really specific and weird but: albedo eats grated cheese straight out of the fridge in the middle of the night

I can see that. Albedo def has, like, the weirdest taste in food.

Like his regular diet is straight up the broke college student in an exam study crunch but, like, every single day. I can imagine him drinking the good 'ld student coffe every morning before work.

(For those who don't know, to make "student coffee" you makes some normal coffee and then use the coffee you just made as water for your next batch so it comes out more caffeinated. It tastes gross but it exists.)

Also I feel like he'd like the specific student meal in Italy called "melt whatever random cheese you have in your fridge and shove some ham on a plate of pasta". Lovely food, very nice.

It'd be funny if he had just, like, a little cabinet in his lab filled with cheese that he sometimes pulls out and cuts to eat. Like he's got a whole 2/3kg wheel of parmesan in there.

[captainkappa]

Fanfic:: Compromising Positions

“You need to try to be less sword focused."

“You’re just saying that so you can win.”

@dinlukenation Dinluke Day 3! T4T Sparring! That’s it, that’s all I have to say!

AO3 link

-=-=-=-=-

If asked, Din would say he doesn’t keep score when he and Luke spar. It’s all for fun, neither playing to win, just a way to pass the time as the kids take their nap time. That being said, the score is 3-1 in Luke’s favor when Din pulls himself to a seated position.

“You need to try to be less sword focused,” he says, brushing off grass caught in the creases of his armor.

Luke offers him a hand, which he takes, and pulls him up. “You’re just saying that so you can win.”

Din doesn’t take the bait. “You can always drop it in a fight.”

“I could.” Luke tosses aside his lightsaber, letting it disappear in the thick grass. “But you do realize I could always just-”

Just as quick as he’d thrown it, the lightsaber is flying back toward his hand, but Din has expected this. One arm lets out the ripcord, wrapping around Luke’s extended hand and the other one goes for the spear on his back. Pulling, he knocks Luke off balance so he’s on one knee, spear pointed at his neck.

The lightsaber bounces off Luke’s knuckles as they stare at each other. Din has to take a moment to ground himself, moving his weight to his heels and back to the balls of his feet to remind him where he is. It’s too easy to get lost in those eyes.

So, he focuses on the bewildered look on Luke’s face as he tilts his head.

“You were saying?”

Luke sighs. “Fine, fine, we can try sparring without my saber.”

“And no Jedi tricks?”

“And no Jedi tricks.” Luke quirks a half grin, “Now, are you going to let me go now?”

Oh, right.

Din retracts the ripcord and Luke stands up with a small shake of his hand. The movement catches Din’s eye and he’s transfixed by those fingers that grip a lightsaber just as easily as they cradle his child when Grogu passes out due to accidental overexertion.

Luke clears his throat and Din realizes he’s staring.

“Right,” he said, hoping his embarrassment isn’t picked up by his helmet. “And I won’t use my weapons either.”

Luke nods and Din steps off to the side to disarm himself of his weapons. He’s not as armed to the teeth as he is on bounties, but weapons are still his religion.

“Are you done yet?” Luke asks, the smile evident in his voice even as Din’s facing away from him. He huffs out a laugh.

The spear is the last to be removed, landing with the rest of his arsenal.

He walks back to Luke, who’s shifting his weight from one foot to the other, hands disappearing in the sleeves of his robe.

Din considers him from a moment before saying, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Luke scoffs. “And pass on the opportunity to fight hand-to-hand with a real Mandalorian? Why would I ever pass on that chance.”

“Alright,” he drops into a low stance as easy as ever. “I’ll go easy on you.”

Luke eyes him warily, but he can see Luke try and mimic his stance.

“I can teach you properly, but I want to see where-” Din can’t finish that sentence before Luke is upon him, all flailing limbs and dark fabric.

It’s not the worst attempt Din has seen, but it’s up there. It takes less than a minute to get Luke face down in the ground, Din kneeling above him. The lack of any loud crunching sounds reassures Din he hasn’t broken Luke’s nose.

“Who the hell taught you to fight?”

Luke lifts his head off the ground just enough to speak. “My aunt taught me how to shoot, Obi-wan taught me lightsaber basics, and Han taught me how not to break my thumb when punching someone.”

Well, it’s a start.

“Basics then,” he says, mostly to himself.

“Basics?” Luke asks as Din pulls himself up. “You mean you’re going to teach me?”

Din pauses. He thought that had been implied.

“Yes? Unless you don’t-”

“No! No, I want to learn!” Luke says, a little too quickly. He scrambles back up to his feet and rubs off some of the dirt from his face. “So, what’s first?”

“But first, you’re gonna have to take that off.”

Luke looks down on his black robes, and then back up at Din. “Why?”

“It’ll just get in the way. You need a free range of motion at least when learning.”

Luke huffs, but drops his cloak to the grassy floor all the same. He floats it over to where Din’s weapons are, folding it as it passes through the air. That leaves him in his trousers and a light-tan tunic, the low cut revealing a compression top.

With that out of the way, Din starts teaching the basics; how far to spread his legs apart, how to hold his arms, how to hit someone without hurting yourself. Luke takes to it with a focus Din only sees in meditation and the few missions he’s seen Luke on.

They don’t spar as much as Luke uses him as his own punching bag, pulling his punches so he doesn’t break a hand on the beskar. Din is thankful for the fight, which forces himself to focus on gently blocking Luke’s punches and not getting lost in Luke’s intense expression.

The sun is still hanging over the horizon when they finish that exercise. Din knows soon the kids will wake up and afternoon activities will start, and he should let Luke prepare for that, but he doesn’t seem to be looking at the Temple, so Din hazards a question.

“Do you want to try some grapples?”

Luke is still catching his breath, but nods, a smile gracing his features.

Maybe that’s why Din should’ve realized he was fucked.

Because demonstrating grapples requires physical contact. And not the quick physical contact of a punch, but the slow, deliberate contact that’s involved in incapacitating, followed by questions to make sure that Luke isn’t uncomfortable, if he understands how the grapple is supposed to work. And then they have to reverse and let Luke try it on him, Luke’s hands finding the spaces between armor, becoming suddenly intimate with the fine corded muscle Luke hides under those robes.

But Din does it, thankful for the layers between them and the helmet hiding the creeping warmth on his face.

He’s halfway to bringing Luke into a kneeling position, his arms tucked under Luke’s armpits, locking him in place, when Luke freezes underneath him, saying, “Wait-”

Din stills, loosening his grip on the other man.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, lemme just-”

Luke shakes his leg and for a second Din thinks he’s pinched a nerve or pulled a muscle. That is before there’s a soft thunk in the grass as something fell out of Luke’s pant leg.

The two of them look at the offending piece of silicone. Din swears he can see Luke’s face warm up on the HUD.

“Luke-”

“I know.”

“-your dick fell out.”

“I know.”

Din’s grip loosens as his shoulders start to shake from restrained laughter. A wind kicks up and makes the packer wiggle and then it’s over, Din being helpless to the laughter that shakes his core. He staggers back, hands on his knees as he tries and fails to calm down. Luke stays where he’s half kneeling, hiding his face in his hands, muttering about sweat and adhesive.

When Din collects himself, he manages to say, “It’s fine. I once had mine fall out during a hunt for a bounty.”

Luke gives him an incredulous grin. “Really?”

“Yeah and… then I threw it at the guy.”

Luke looks at him before bursting out laughing himself, falling onto the grass with gut wrenching gasps. Din laughs along with him, the memory just as ridiculous as ever.

“I needed a distraction and then it just… fell out!” he tries by way of explanation, but that seems to get Luke to laugh harder.

It feels like an hour passes before Luke is able to get a full breath in and speak.

“Oh, stars,” he says with a gasp, still laying in the grass, hair fanned out around him. “I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a while.”

Din holds out his hand and pulls Luke up. Either Din forgot his own strength, or Luke is still out of it from laughing because the two collide with the momentum. Luke grabs onto the edges of the chest plate to steady himself as Din’s hands hover over his shoulders.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Luke says, slightly breathless. Din blames it on the laughter.

Luke stills for a moment, eyes going glassy in a familiar way when he’s talking to students along their training bond.

He gives Din a small smile, taking a step back. “The kids are awake. We probably would’ve had to stop anyway, I have to clean my dick.”

Luke stoops down to pick up his packer, his robes floating over in the same movement, draping over his shoulders as he stands back up.

Din swallows, mouth suddenly dry. “Need me to look after the foundlings while you do so?”

“Padawans, but,” Luke’s smile is shy now, “if it wouldn’t be any trouble.”

“Of course not.”

Luke nods and Din watches as he shoves his dirty packer into his robes before walking in the direction of the nearby lake.

The sigh comes unbidden from Din’s lips, longing and wistful in a way he knows it shouldn’t be.

[vannahfanfics]

The Crawler’s Day Off

Category: Friendship Fluff

Fandom: Vigilantes- My Hero Academia Illegals

Characters: Koichi Haimawari, Kazuho Haneyama

A sedated smile decorated Koichi’s lips as he leisurely strolled across the sidewalk leading up to the spacious mall looming before him. To celebrate the conclusion of his college midterms, Kazuho had invited him to peruse the mall for a few hours. The mall’s hero merchandise shop had launched a new line of All Might hoodies, so naturally, Koichi was mega-game. 

Heat simmered across the pavement as it soaked up the sizzling summer sun blazing in the azure sky. The bare skin of his limbs very much enjoyed soaking up the pleasant heat provided by the rays spearing down from the atmosphere. Though it was the height of the season, Koichi’s trusty All Might hoodie looped around his waist, the sleeves flopping against his thighs with every step. A vigilante never knew when or where they had to spring into action, after all. Since his gain in popularity, Koichi had taken to carting around his hoodie and mask wherever he went, just in case. 

“Koichiiiii~!” The young college boy stopped in his tracks, craning his head as his name floated out of the crowd eclipsing the mall’s entrance. After a quick scan, he spotted a shock of poofy magenta hair bouncing around a grinning bespectacled face. Koichi found his smile brightening as he spotted Kazuho. He quickened his pace, eagerly trotting up to her.

“Hey. Have you been waiting very long?” Koichi asked sheepishly, his smile crinkling with mild guilt. Kazuho smiled pleasantly as she shook her head. “Oh, great. Ready to go inside, then?” he asked with a gesture towards the automatic sliding glass doors. Kazuho responded with a bright “Yep!” and they strolled into the massive building together. 

As they stepped over the threshold, two things struck Koichi: the refreshing blast of the air conditioner and the cacophony of the throng. People milled about the mall’s central rotunda or meandered towards their favorite stores, all while chattering incessantly. As it was a Saturday, the nearby settlements’ young residents had flocked to the mall to escape the intense summer heat and indulge in some shopping. Shouting slightly to surpass the dissonance of a thousand conversations, he asked Kazuho, “What would you like to do first?” 

“Eh? Didn’t you want to go to that merch store or whatever, Koichi?” she asked loudly while playing with the voluminous end of one of her pigtails. Koichi’s cheeks pinkened at her consideration, and he rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes trailed to the colorful signs and cosplayed mannequins adorning the shop’s front. His blue eyes flickered back to the girl, who just regarded him curiously. 

“We can go there later,” he decided, though every cell in his body vibrated with the need to have his hands on the new limited-edition hoodie as soon as possible. Kazuho had been nice enough to invite him on the outing, so the least he could do was allow her to enjoy herself. “Is there anywhere you want to go?” 

Kazuho’s cheeks turned the color of her hair as her magenta eyes drifted eastward.

“Well,” she offered shyly, wringing her hands and jingling the bracelets around her wrist, “I’d really like to check out the bath products store… They have nice bath bombs…” Kazuho’s gaze flickered to him anxiously, as if she expected him to scoff in disdain. The boy just smiled and began walking purposefully towards that end of the mall. 

“All right, then! Bath bombs, here we come!” As he strode off, he heard Kazuho squeak, and her flats slap-slapped after him. 

“Wait! Koichi!” 

~~~~~~~~~~

The bath bomb store nestled between a jewelry store and a bookstore. Koichi mulled about as Kazuho inspected the various wares piled in the plastic bin, picking up the compressed balls of soap and sniffing them to decide on her favorite aromas. Koichi realized that he was the only male in the store, but he didn’t mind; Kazuho’s eyes sparkled with delight as she sampled the bath bombs, so he was content as long as she was. As he waited patiently for her to choose her purchases, he meandered around, flipping open random bottles of shea butter lotions and shower gels to sniff them. He had to admit, quite a few of them smelled very lovely indeed. 

As he sniffed at a bottle of red apple-scented shower gel, a sudden scream made him gasp and drop the bottle. Droplets of viscous ruby liquid splashed across the white tile as he dashed to the storefront, looking left and right. People shrieked and tripped over one another as they raced away like scattered marbles. Koichi’s keen eyes tracked their frantic movements to their origin- the jewelry store next door. 

“Put it all in the bag! Hurry up!” A villain cornering a terrified jeweler barked savagely as he brandished a wicked-looked firearm in her face. Upon closer inspection, Koichi realized that the weapon actually morphed out of his hand. He can turn his body into guns? Freaky! Koichi thought as he gawked shamelessly. He only stumbled backward when Kazuho forcibly yanked him, dragging him around the displays of shampoos and conditioners and lotions to the back of the store. The cashiers and other customers huddled behind the register counter, one of them frantically speaking to an emergency operator. 

“Koichi! Are we gonna do something?” Kazuho hissed as she squatted down behind a round display, jerking him down into a crouch beside her. Koichi frowned; though he’d brought his disguise, a mall was a terribly busy place. Several pro heroes were bound to be patrolling the complex, and they wouldn’t take well to a pair of vigilantes up-staging them. However, he could hear the frightened jewelry store girl pitifully sobbing as she frantically gathered the gold and silver wares at gunpoint. 

“Someone has to do something,” he resolved, untying his hoodie so he could slink his arms through the sleeve and tug the hood up over his head. He fished his mask out of the pocket and strapped it over his face. “Stay here, Pop. Make sure the people in here are safe,” he ordered in a whisper before crawling out from behind the display. 

“Okay. Be careful!” Kazuho whispered, her magenta eyes wide as she watched him slowly crawl on all fours back to the front of the store. 

The mall was a ghost town; all the patrons had fled en masse, leaving the area silent except for the whimpers of the jewelry shop attendant and the angry curses of the robber. Koichi’s eyebrows narrowed in stark peaks over his oceanic eyes as he peered around the edge of the slim wall adjoining the two shops. One gun jutted out of the gunman’s leg to pin down the quivering security guard hunched in the corner between two bullet-ridden, shattered glass display cases. It looks like he can control the guns independently and produce them from any point on his body… That could be a problem, he frowned thoughtfully. 

Still, time was of the essence. Koichi had to try. 

Activating his Quirk, he zoomed across the tile, zig-zagging towards the gunman. Though Koichi’d hoped to catch him by surprise, the young girl gasping “oh!” when she caught sight of him rapidly slithering in made the villain whip around. Three pistols sprung up from his shoulders to automatically pepper Koichi with shots. The vigilante hurriedly hurled himself sideways to roll behind an undamaged display, though a bullet grazed his shin and splashed blood across the floor. He hissed at the sharp sting that bloomed across the nerve endings of his leg. 

“Who’s there? A hero?” the villain demanded. Koichi heard the girl screech and dissolve into blubbering sobs. Eyes narrowed, Koichi peered into the reflection of a small viewing mirror. Through the cracked glass, he observed the assailant grab the jeweler roughly by the arm and yank her halfway over the counter while pressing the barrel of the gun against her temple. “Don’t you get any funny ideas!” he snarled over the desperate wails of the terrorized woman, who probably didn’t get paid enough for this. “I’ll do it! I swear!” He punctuated the promise with a cock of the gun, making the girl moan mournfully. 

“Hey, hey, now,” Koichi called nonchalantly, easing his raised hands over the top of the counter with his arms tensed to yank them down in case the startled gunman tried to blow his fingers off. The unstable villain just watched with bloodshot eyes as Koichi inched his head up over the bullet-nicked counter. “Let’s just take it down a notch, both of us, yeah? I ain’t lookin’ for a fight.” 

The villain’s eyebrow twitched as he regarded the teenager skeptically. With his hands still extended over his head, Koichi directed both his index fingers to the crying woman. “I just want the girl, yeah? You can rob the store all you want, but let’s just let her go, okay? This is way above her paygrade.” 

“Yeah, but then I’d be deprived of a hostage.” 

Finally, Koichi got a good glimpse of the offender. A muscle-bound brute well over six-feet, two-hundred pounds, the young vigilante only hoped to defeat him with a surprise attack with the frightened girl well out of harm’s way. Koichi’s eyes widened as he heard a few of the guns protruding from the villain’s body click, and he waved his hands in a placating gesture. “Look, man! It’s all good! I don’t have any fancy tricks up my sleeve.” He grinned cheesily as he all but lied through his teeth. 

“Please,” the young girl pleading miserably through hiccuping sobs. “Just let me go. Take all the jewelry and money, I don’t care, just please- ahhhhhh!” Her pleas morphed into another round of screaming as the gunman shoved her down into the broken glass. His eyes trained on Koichi, who gradually edged himself to the left each time the opportunity presented itself. 

“Shut up, bitch. Finish loading up the goods!” he snarled and shoved her harshly away. The girl tripped over her heels and landed on her rump, but hurriedly crawled to the case to begin shoveling rings and necklaces and earrings into the sack through blurry tears. When the man was momentarily distracted by ordering her around, Koichi dropped back onto all fours. He activated his Quirk to zoom up the wall and across the ceiling. 

“What the hell-? Hey!” the man yelled, whipping around the shoot several of his guns at Koichi, who zig-zagged across the ceiling a skittering spider. The bullets narrowly avoided him, punching holes in the thin cardboard of the ceiling tiles. The girl took the opportunity to escape; panting, she clambered on all fours away from her assailant. Unfortunately, the man took notice. He materialized a new set of guns fixed directly on her crawling form. “Get back here!” 

As the guns exploded with loud pops, Koichi dove down the wall to scoop up the attendant, wrapping his arms around her middle and throwing all his weight to his left. He carried her with him as he rolled over behind another counter. He deposited her near the rattled security guard, who yelled at their sudden appearance. 

“Hold on. I’ll get you out of here,” Koichi ordered with a stern point of his finger. The white-faced girl just nodded frantically, irises swimming in a white sea. The villain now stamped around the back of the counter, cursing loudly and shooting in random directions as he gathered up his haul. Koichi carefully timed the firing of the guns with his sharp eyes to rapidly discern a pattern. He pinpointed a minute gap in their interval, one that would allow him to scoop up the two hostages and escape. Koichi had no care to combat the crazed, infuriated man; he’d leave that to the pro heroes. He was fast, not bulletproof. 

“Now!” he cried, grabbing hold of the man and woman in the split-second gap between the gunfire. He kicked off the counter using his Quirk to boost his force, sending them hurtling out of the jewelry store into the common area. Koichi slammed into a sofa, flinging the two hostages around either side while he slid down the back of the couch with an agonized groan. He quickly recollected himself, rubbing his bruised nose and rising to peek around the spine of the couch. Though thoroughly rattled, neither hostages were significantly injured. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Get back here, you little shit!” 

“Oop! Time to dash,” Koichi gulped, dropping back down to all fours and firing up his Quirk. He zoomed away, zig-zagging to dodge the bullets raining down around him. He slipped right through the legs of a police officer rushing towards the scene with his gun drawn. It seemed the cavalry had finally arrived, and Koichi had no care to stick around for the conclusion. He’d saved the civilians; that’s all that mattered. 

Koichi hurriedly slipped into an abandoned side exit hall and stripped himself of his All Might hoodie and mask, stashing it in a decorative plant and playing the part of the frightened onlooker as a few police officers and a sidekick dashed by. After they migrated off, satisfied the stammering boy cowering behind the fern was not their masked illegal hero, Koichi bought himself a bottle of water from the nearby vending machine. He drained it to the dregs in three large gulps. He tossed it into the nearby trashcan and then sunk onto the metal bench beside it, sagging as the adrenaline caught up to him. 

“Ahhh… So much for a relaxing trip to the mall,” Koichi pouted. Still, as he fingered the fabric of his All Might hoodie still stuffed down between the broad leaves of the fresh-smelling fern, he smiled brightly. He saw the woman and security guard being led to safety, shock blankets hugging their forms. The woman paused when she glanced at him, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. As tears filled her eyes, she mouthed a simple thanks before allowing the EMT to lead her away. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Koichi! Are you okay?” Kazuho cried as he limped through the glass double doors of the mall entrance. She rushed up at him, grabbing him by the biceps to look him up and down frantically. “The heroes just led the villain out in cuffs. What a brute! Are you sure you aren’t hurt?” 

“I’m fine, Pop,” he reassured her with an amused smile, regaled by her concern for him. “A bullet just grazed my leg; it’s nothin’ major. It isn’t even bleeding anymore.” Kazuho’s head dipped down to critically inspect the wound on his shin. After frowning at it for several seconds, she stepped away from him, cheeks pinkened. 

“You didn’t come back immediately… I was worried.” 

“Yeah,” he sighed apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing at the sweat coating his fingertips, “I lied low for a while to keep from attracting attention… I made a pretty good show of myself, after all.” 

“You sure did,” Kazuho laughed, pulling out her phone. She beckoned him to look over her shoulder as she pulled up a webpage; the video she showed him featured him zooming out of the jewelry store with the hostages in tow. The headline read, The Crawler’s Day Off? Heroic Mall Rescue by Naruhata Vigilante! 

“Wow,” he appreciated with a low whistle. “That was fast.” 

“Yup,” she agreed as she pocketed her smartphone. “I would say that was a productive day, wouldn’t you?” At her girlish giggle, Koichi’s body sagged, and he released a miserable whine. 

“No! I didn’t get that new hoodie! They’re probably all sold out now…” 

“Actually…” As Kazuho shyly spoke up, pressing the pad of her index finger to her lips as she bashfully swayed her hips from side to side, Koichi sprang up like a soldier snapping to attention. She snickered and pulled a shopping bag from behind her back. Koichi’s breath left him in an awed gasp. 

“Pop… You didn’t…” 

“While you were laying low, I ran by the store and snagged the last one.” 

“Thank you!” he trilled, snatching the bag as tears brimmed in his eyes. He cooed delightedly as he pulled the hoodie from the paper bag. He abandoned the container as he raised the article of clothing to adoringly admire it. “It’s spectacular… Pop, thank you!” he grinned, dropping the hoodie to reveal his absolutely beaming grin. Kazuho blushed and played with a chunk of her poofy pink hair. 

“Of course. I know how excited you were about it, so…” 

“But this must have cost so much! I have to pay you back.” As he went fishing his wallet out of his back pocket, Kazuho grabbed his wrist. 

“No, it’s okay,” she refused with a soft smile. She pulled her hand back, and Koichi’s arm flopped limply to his side as he stared at her in bewilderment. Going shy again, she once more swung her hips slowly from left to right and back again. “I was happy to buy it for you. You can just make it up to me by using it well.” 

Koichi blinked, humbled by her statement. Then, his grin widened, stretching his cheeks to an almost painful degree. He dropped his hoodie from his hips, depositing it in the shopping bag, before slipping his arms into the new one. “Y-you’re gonna wear that in this heat?!” Kazuho spluttered. 

“Yep,” Koichi smiled as he flapped the front of the jacket to settle it over his torso. He then leaned down to pick up the shopping bag. “Sure am. So, wanna head home? I’m starving.” 

Kazuho stared at him incredulously for a moment, then laughed mirthfully. 

“Sure. How about curry?” 

“Yum! My favorite!” 

Use it well, Kazuho’s voice echoed in his mind as he strolled alongside her. The image of the woman thanking him then came to mind. 

Yeah, Pop. I sure will. 

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[roraewrites]

thirteen - abandoned

Glass Heart Rating: M And he was in the darkness, so darkness he became.

previous | next

Sasuke wasn't exactly sure how to feel about their current situation. His body, exhausted yet alarms going off on all nerve endings, remained atop Sakura's, his hand still firmly pressed against her lips.

From underneath, he could feel her lips quivering and her breathing quicken in pace. He'd refuse to look into her eyes, seeing the fear that had taken over that lovely, ecstasy filled look that had been there only seconds ago.

From their spot in the grass, he could feel his heart hammering against his chest while their enemies - his, rather - started to approach, hot on their trail. Sasuke can already sense that Sakura compressed her presence, making her unknown, but an Anbu level shinobi knows better than to fall for silly tricks.

His throat felt dry, mind running rampant with thoughts and ideas of how to escape without fighting. He still felt exhausted, though, his mind beginning to pound with an oncoming headache. As he began to remove his hand from Sakura's mouth, he could hear her take a deep, shaky breath from beneath him.

Sasuke grasped her wrist and pulled her up with him, her hands flying to cover her exposed body, but he couldn't help run his eyes down each and every curve that she possessed. Even the way her hair flowed freely, grass and twigs included, she looked beautiful even in her distressed state of mind. He had to pull his own mind from overthinking, thinking of taking her right here again, and when he pulled his trousers up his legs and reapplied his tank top to his body, he felt a darkening mood begin to overtake his mind.

The Leaf were here; closer than they had been earlier, and with Sakura's short pants of breath and her shaking limbs, he could tell just how frightened she'd become. If it came down to it, the kunoichi would fight; gracefully and without a second thought, she'd fight by his side and they'd escape, but he wouldn't put her through the trauma of executing someone from her own village.

The dark sky stretched miles upon miles, twinkling stars surrounding the pale orb that illuminated the midnight horizon; a shrill inhale sounding from his left, and before Sasuke could control his emotions, Sharingan eyes melted with an eerie glow, revealing the Uchiha's bloodline.

It was Sakura; blood trickling from the canyon between her shoulder blades, and as her rose quartz hair soaked up the oozing liquid, he could hardly contain himself any longer. His hand possessed a crackling blue-white light, his skin etched in ink markings that descended upon his body.

There was only time to do, no longer think, and as Sakura's body tensed with pain, Sasuke's hand was already driving towards his prey. His mind was running wild, thoughts of darkness and time spent alone in a damp and dark room fueling his body. He wasn't what Sakura wanted; he was a beast, created by a sick shinobi who found joy in experimenting on innocent people - but Sasuke was no longer stable as his skin colored over in a sickening gray, and his hair began to spout from the roots, fading to an ominous gray. His nails broke free from their nail beds, sharpening like a fresh blade, and while his body was undergoing a familiar transformation, he no longer cared that Sakura would witness the deaths of the Leaf shinobi.

They hurt her, he was reminded, by a low and hoarse voice from within.

The familiar sound caused his skin to crawl as his eyes focused on the shinobi in front of him. He was too fast, faster than them, and as his hand plunged through the throat of his victim, Sasuke could already feel his skin soaked in the warm liquids.

It was refreshing, almost comforting as he dropped the man to his knees, his hands flying to his throat as he tried to stop the blood from exiting his body.

"You're too late, death is upon you," he retorted with a low sneer.

And darkness is upon you.

.

 .

 .

Sakura faltered, her body soaking up the cool blade that was stuck between her shoulder blades, nearly striking her spine. She swallowed hard, her throat coated in thick saliva as she began to grow hot from anxiety.

The location of the blade was awkward, her hand reaching back over her shoulder, the other hand supporting her elbow. Her fingers were already touching sensitive skin, trickling blood and damp hair.

"Damn bastards," she muttered from underneath her breath, her fingers finally finding the kunai.

It was deep, penetrating her muscles, and nearly taking her out for good. She needed to remove it, heal the laceration up and fight alongside Sasuke. She needed to, wanted to, anything to prove that she didn't need to be protected; not anymore.

Emerald eyes squeezed tight, her nose crinkling in anticipation as she grasped the kunai by the hilt and began to pull. It hurt and stung like hell, feeling the razor sharp blade cut through the small amounts of dried blood, slice through skin that it hadn't touched, and disassemble more muscle tissue.

The healing process was quick as Sakura's temper began to flare. She could hear the crackling lightning coming from behind her, and before she turned to see what Sasuke was doing, the gurgled yell caused her eyes to widen.

The Uchiha had penetrated through the Anbu member, ripping through every tendon, nerve, muscle and bone, nearly taking the head of the Leaf shinobi clean off. While Sakura stood completely still, she'd felt the unfamiliar course of goose bumps cross over her body. She'd seen blood countless times, witnessed horrible cuts and messed up bodies, but this was something she'd never thought she'd witness.

Sasuke stood above the man, completely changed and smiling with a mischievous smile.

"- death is upon you," the low growl came from his discolored lips, and as the blue-white light faded from his hand, Sakura's green eyes focused on the maroon liquid that coated his hand.

"Sasuke?" She asked quietly, her hands balling into fists as her breathing became ragged.

There was no way she could save that man, he was already dead or close to. As Sakura took one step towards him, she could see the eyes of Sasuke fall upon her. He looked like a wild animal, caged for too long and starved of food. The wings that had emerged from his back was unlike anything she'd ever seen before, and as she willed her body to take another step, Sasuke's smirk was a complete smile, yet his eyes remained wide and alert.

"It's okay," she warned before taking another step towards him. Sakura could feel her heart pounding wildly against her rib cage as the grass crunched beneath her feet. "I just need to check on him."

It was when she spoke that final sentence that she felt his body approach hers with and immense speed. He was between her and the Anbu, his smile still remained on his lips as he shook his head. "No, leave him. There's more."

While it sounded like Sasuke's deep, monotone voice, Sakura wouldn't be fooled by the actual person behind it. She couldn't see the familiar shimmer in his ruby eyes, nor the careful touch as he grabbed both of her wrists. His skin was cool to the touch, and before she could speak another word, his hand was pushing an incredible force to her chest and her body was flying backwards.

If he hadn't shoved her out of the way, Sakura would've been impaled by yet another weapon. She simply caught her balance, rounded and pulled her own shuriken from her pouch and searched for the enemy in the dull light. Her adrenaline was pumping faster than her heart was beating, her emerald eyes jumping from one spot to another, as her senses honed in on any chakra signature other than Sasuke's.

He was no longer concealing his presence, instead making it clear that he was out for blood and would mow down anyone that stood in his way. While Sakura watched from her spot, she couldn't help but feel her heart ache as Sasuke's fire began to light up in the distance. She could even feel the heat from her location, well aware that that was how the first fire started and as she blinked, the tears began to prick the corners of her eyes.

How foolish had she actually been for agreeing to join him on his own personal mission?

Her fists clenched once more as he ears tuned in to another shriek nearby. Heat began to flare up within her core, her mind heating up with anger as well as the shuriken in her hand began to cut into her skin as she squeezed her fists. She couldn't stand by while Sasuke slaughtered those from her village. While she was considered a traitor of her village, she wouldn't stand by any more; not if she could help it.

He was easy to find, Sakura came to find out. She simply followed the trail of bodies, and while the numbers of their enemies were dropping like flies, she'd find him soon enough; she could still sense him and he was extremely close by.

"Sasuke!" She screamed from the confines of darkness. Her anger had bubbled over, her mind completely numb as she screamed into the night air, the stars diminishing as light began to expand from the horizon.

After her shrill scream, it felt like her surroundings had gone completely quiet. Sakura didn't mind it, she remained angry as her defenses remained raised.

"What."

His statement was dark, laced with an annoyed tone and as Sakura rounded on him, she was surprised with how close he was to her. She hadn't felt him, nor the wind from how fast he'd appeared behind her. Her rose locks fell to her shoulders as her viridian eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong with you?" She hissed, her nose nearly touching his as she rose to her tip toes and stared into his deadly eyes. She could see the stains of blood coloring his skin, the way the star shaped design that covered his nose crinkled as he narrowed his own eyes back at her.

"I'm protecting you. What the hell do you think is going on, Sakura?"

His tone was like ice, cold to the core and sharper than shattered glass. Sakura remained strong, her eyes hard and fists ready as she looked from his right eye, back to the left.

"I don't need you to protect me."

Realization crossed through his eyes as his glare deepened. She noticed the way his hair began to melt back to obsidian black, even in the dim light. Anger flared up from behind rose eyes, and before he could say another word, Sakura's lips overflowed with emotion.

It was like an emotional roller coaster, the constant arguing, then their lips against one another. She couldn't take it anymore, not when she was the one that hurt the most from Sasuke's actions.

"Have Karin protect you when you find Itachi," she retorted one last time before turning her back to him. "I'm done with this."

.

.

.

Sasuke's blood pressure began to plummet, yet his anger remained as he watched Sakura's back turn to him. "What the fuck are you doing?" He spat out.

Sakura didn't answer, only continue her walk towards the blaring fire in the distance and from in front of her, he could see the sky lighting up with the morning sun. Sasuke's skin began to burn as the discolored gray began to fade and his nails returned back to normal.

He felt absolutely exhausted now; his body trembling yet his mind remained focused on the woman walking away from him. Was Sakura actually doing this? Leaving him here, while she walked away completely emotionless?

"Where are you going?" He asked once more, yet his voice was an octave lower. He had lost the fight from within, his body now aching and the headache from earlier pulsating through his head.

Was Sakura really that anger with him for protecting her? Fighting and making sure nothing else would happen? Sasuke shook his head before exhaling heavily. He didn't have time for this. She'd eventually be captured, and he'd no longer have to worry about her getting in the way. "Whatever."

He began to walk in the opposite direction of Sakura, searching for the mountains that his squad had been nearing earlier in their travels. Once his mind began to calm down from his heated argument, his hands found the tank top that remained around his waist, and as he pulled it back over his shoulders and torso, he finally noticed the blood that coated his skin.

He thought nothing of it; it was just another day for him. As slow as he walked, he soon noticed that the smell of smoke no longer filled the air, nor was he out in the open field that he had been earlier. The sky was awake, the air filled with singing birds and a blistering sun. There were hundreds of thousands of trees surrounding him now, too.

It felt awkward, being here and returning back to the group without Sakura. But she had chosen to leave him. Sasuke soon found his knees pressing into damp soil as his hands pressed into the small puddle before him. It was clear and he could see the shallow hole from beneath the water's surface; his reflection looked anything but happy. As he splashed the cool water over his face, he began to scrub at the dirt, sweat, soot and blood that stained his perfect, creamy skin.

Sasuke began to feel sick to his stomach the more he scrubbed at his hands, watching the blood deteriorate from underneath his calloused hands and run from his skin to the dirt below. He was an absolute mess and as he pushed up from his spot, he began walking towards the mountains once more.

How stupid had he been for thinking Sakura could help him on his mission? Never again would he let his emotions overtake his thoughts, nor would he let his heart come first in any decision, ever again.

With a limp, he pushed on.

Pushed away from his emotions, pushed away from his anchors and ties, and pushed away from Sakura.